Viral short heads for the big screen

When out college football player Michael Sam was drafted to the NFL he kissed his boyfriend in joy and the small-minded portion of America were in a frenzy over the televised kiss. What are they supposed to tell their kids who were watching the NFL draft?

Shortly after the negative outcry from conservative America, a fake news article was published about a professional male football player publicly kissing his wife. The article flipped the script and criticized the heterosexual football player for kissing his wife on television, showing how ridiculous people’s responses have been to Michael Sam kissing his boyfriend.

Marriage equality battles have been trending in mainstream media. We have a lot of straight allies supporting us, but it’s not always evident to our straight friends and family how much LGBT people struggle.

“Love Is All You Need?”  a short film that went viral  flips the script on sexual orientation and gender norms. Like the fake news article that highlighted the double standards Michael Sam faced, “Love Is All You Need?” is giving heteronormative culture an image to help them visualize what it is like to live in our shoes.

The viral short is set in a world where same-sex couples are the norm and heterosexuals are dehumanized and villainized. Sexism still exists. Women carry the gender roles that we associate with men, and men carry the gender roles that we associate with women.

“Love Is All You Need?” has resonated with millions. It has over 11 million views on YouTube and over 30 million views on Facebook, has been translated into more than 15 different languages and has been reviewed in over a thousand media outlets from around the world. From this success, the short film is being turned in to a feature film. The filmmakers are using Indiegogo to help raise funds.

The feature film follows three storylines: The story of 11-year-old Ashley Curtis (from the short film) who is kicked off of her school football team when she’s outed as a hetero; the story of college star quarterback, Jude Klein, and budding sports journalist, Ryan Morris, and their clandestine love; and the story of zealot priest, Rachel Duncan, who after finding out about the affair between Jude and Ryan makes it her mission to spread the word of God that all breeders are sinners.

Camilla Belle (“10,000 BC”) plays as the star collegiate quarterback, Jude. With Mary Vernieu as the casting director, this film will likely boast a star-studded ensemble cast. Vernieu has casted over 200 films and is one of the most sought-after casting directors in Hollywood. Vernieu is confident that many A-listers will join the cast and help launch “Love Is All You Need?” into theaters worldwide.

Think of the impact that this film could make if it were released in theaters worldwide. It could help empower our allies to be more boisterous for our cause. It could help change the hearts and minds of those who are on the fence about LGBT people. This film can help open people’s eyes and hearts to the ridiculousness and injustice of the segregation that we create as a society when we hold hate in our hearts and ignorance in our minds.

“Love Is All You Need?” launched their Indiegogo campaign on May 13. It ends July 2. You can contribute anywhere from $5 to $100,000 and in return you can get a download of the film, autographs, lunch with the cast and crew or you can be an extra on the set. This film has the potential to greatly impact the LGBT community, and you can play a part in that.